“It’s difficult for people to ask for help. If you see other students are doing fine, you feel a lack of agency. We are trying to break the stigma and help people be more courageous,” she told POWER Breakfast’s Bob Mabena.

Hunger is one of the factors which influence student dropout, Benadie admits.

“We have found that the times students are most vulnerable is when they first come in for the academic year and their funding is still being approved, around February and March, and then also because their meal allowances have caps on them, around October and November, which is the crucial exam time that is also when they face this issue.

“If you are hungry and don’t know where your next meal is going to come from, how can you focus on your exams,” she asks.

Research has shown that this is a silent crisis at universities, Benadie adds.

The university has a number of fundraising efforts planned to assist in feeding students who are in need of a meal.